Courses in 'Microsoft' deal with a multitude of possibilities. At one end of the scale, you could need some instruction on 'Word' or 'Excel', on the other you might be interested in gaining a number of MCP's to become certified in I.T. at a professional level. It's essential, as with all training, to be sure of where you want to get to, and what your motivations are to reach that point, as these can greatly influence what path you take and what learning style you use. We constantly recommend that if you plan to get into IT as a career, you have a good careers discussion with an expert advisor, to make sure you don't squander either your time or money.

Commercial communications globally are led by Microsoft Network and Server Operating-Systems. It's now thought that no less than 80-90 percent of office networking systems use Windows Server as the standard platform. This particular software has undergone a variety of updates now, starting with 'NT' Server, and then becoming Server 2000, Server 2003 and now 'Server 2008'. A good number of commercial establishments still use Server 2003, and up-dating to 'Server 2008' is unlikely for many. More likely, it will be those older installations that will up-date ('NT' Server or Server 2000) - effectively bypassing a generation or two. More discussion regarding 'Server 2003' & Server 2008 is available on our dedicated MCSE and 'MCSA' training web-pages, where you will also learn more about MS Network and Server Operating Systems.

If you would like to be a good user to assist you as part of your work, or train for a specialist career in a support role, there are a number of training programs to help you get there. For in depth coverage concerning how to get the most from 'Office' yourself, look at the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) or the 'Microsoft Certified Application Specialist' ('MCAS'). For a qualification to support others, go into the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician, or MCDST as its known.

There are several rather more specialised & advanced certification routes if you are aiming to become a senior IT skilled professional. The exam structure at Microsoft has recently gone through an important change. A number of career training routes still lead to 'MCP' qualifications, however the direction is steadily shifting towards MCITP & 'MCTS' programs (Microsoft Certified IT Professional and Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist respectively). People on the 'MCITP' packages generally build up through MCTS training-paths.

One of Microsoft's over-riding strengths through-out recent decades has been their drive towards skilled professional accreditation, causing many other corporations to comply & raise their standards. Because of this the whole I.T. world and especially senior management regard skilled professional Microsoft accreditations with great respect.

Microsoft own 'Visual Studio', which is the fore-most Windows software development 'environment'. They offer a number of languages, with C#.Net & 'VB.Net' ('Visual Basic') currently being the most widely used. You can find out about these by reading our dedicated Programming web-pages. The most commonly accepted accreditations are now the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist and the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer.

'Databases' have got their own language called 'SQL' ('Structured Query Language') which is needed to interrogate a standardised Database. Anyone seeking to work with Databases professionally must learn how to understand 'SQL', so that they can manage data successfully. Developers (DBDs) create and design Databases for Administrators (DBA's) to regulate, interpret and generate reports on the data. Database-Developers normally also learn programming-skills to enable them to create database software - this means a different qualification in Visual Basic or C#.

The main areas that Microsoft provide accreditation paths for are typically related to their core systems offerings. They are 1) Network and Server Operating Systems, 2) Programming & Software Development within the 'Windows' environment, & 3) Database Administration & Development. For further information and facts on the details of each training-route and accreditation group, investigate the key sections relating to each one on this web-site.

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